Page 35 of Christmas at Wolf Creek

“By forcing a marriage between me and his son, Mikhail.” I twist my hands together, remembering. “A business merger of sorts, with me as the commodity.”

“But you said you met Mikhail,” Kori prompts gently. “How did that happen if you were hidden away?”

A bitter smile crosses my lips. “Ironically, through Tomas. He sent me to a private art exhibition in Dublin—a rare outing, heavily supervised. Mikhail was there. Neither of us knew who the other was at first.” I pause, memories washing over me. “He was... charming. Intelligent. Nothing like the monster Tomas had described.”

“You fell for him,” Kat says, not a question.

“I did,” I admit, staring down at my hands. “We began meeting in secret. For months, neither of us revealed our true identities. I was Eleanor Shaw, an art student. He was Mikhail, a businessman with no last name. When I finally learned who he really was, it was too late. I was already in love.”

“And he felt the same?” Kane asks, skepticism evident in his voice.

I laugh, the sound hollow even to my own ears. “That’s what I believed. He said he didn’t share his father’s vendetta, that he wanted nothing to do with forced marriages or corporate takeovers. He wanted us to be together on our terms, not theirs.”

“But something changed,” Declan says, leaningforward.

I nod, swallowing hard. “I got pregnant. When I told Mikhail, he was... overjoyed. Said we should get married right away, before either of our fathers could interfere. I agreed. We planned to elope to Cyprus, where he kept a yacht.”

The room is utterly silent now, everyone hanging on my words. The fire pops loudly, making me flinch.

“The night before we were supposed to leave, I overheard him on the phone,” I continue, my voice dropping. “Speaking Russian, which he didn’t know I understood. He was talking to his father, saying everything was going according to plan. That once we were married and the baby was born, they would have their leverage against Tomas. That I was...” my voice breaks, “...exactly as naive as they’d hoped.”

“Bastard,” Lana whispers.

“I confronted him. It was... ugly. He changed completely, like a mask falling away. Said I had no choice, that I belonged to him now, especially carrying his child.” I shudder at the memory. “I managed to get away, to call Tomas. For once in his life, he actually came through. Got me out that night, brought me to Canada, to this place.”

“And Mikhail?” Declan presses. “What happened to him?”

“Three months later, his yacht exploded in the Mediterranean. No survivors.” I look up, meetingDeclan’s eyes directly. “At least, that’s what Tomas told me. He showed me news reports and official statements. I believed him. I had to believe him.”

“But now you’re not so sure,” Kane says.

I shake my head slowly. “At the tree lighting, I saw someone. Just a glimpse, but...” I take a shaky breath. “It could have been him. The way he moved, his build. I told myself I was imagining things.”

“The caller,” Declan says carefully, “mentioned St. Petersburg. Said to ask you what really happened the night you ran.”

A chill runs through me. Only one person besides Tomas knew about that night. “What exactly did they say?”

“That you’re not who you seem. That we should ask about St. Petersburg.”

I close my eyes, memories crashing over me like waves. The ornate hotel suite. The argument. The gun. The blood.

“St. Petersburg was where Mikhail took me, two weeks before I found out who he really was,” I say, choosing my words carefully. “We stayed at the Astoria Hotel. It was... a good memory, until it wasn’t.”

It’s not the whole truth. Not even close. But some secrets are too dangerous to share, even with family.

“If Mikhail is alive,” Connor says, breaking his thoughtful silence, “and if he’s found you here, what does he want?”

“What he’s always wanted,” I reply, my voice steadier than I feel. “Control. Power. And now, Nora.”

“Well, he can’t have any of that,” Kane states flatly. “Not while we’re here.”

I look around at their determined faces, these siblings I barely know, who are ready to stand between my daughter and danger. Gratitude mingles with fear in my chest.

“You don’t understand what he’s capable of,” I warn them. “If it really is him, if he’s found us after all this time...”

“Then we deal with it together,” Declan interrupts firmly. “You’re not alone anymore, Ella. Whatever’s coming, we face it as a family.”

Family. The word still feels foreign, too good to be true. “I should take Nora and go,” I say, even as something in me rebels against the thought of running again. “Disappear before he gets any closer.”